Furtive
by Baymel Hirel
Summary: REWRITTEN You never would think it will happen to you, and then it does. When you watch the news and think, "wow, I'm so glad I'm not that person." You read the statistics, you hear it on the radio, but you never see it, and you never experience it, and when it does happen to you, what do you do? /depression
1. Chapter 1

When people think of a fourteen year old boy, they think of a poindexter, scrawny adolescent with acne covering every square inch of their face. A boy who gets thrown into lockers and have upperclassmen pushing him around. Or, it could be the complete opposite. But no one would actually think that a fourteen year old would be studying _advanced engineering mathematics_ , and entered into such an elite university of technology.

Well, this young boy is doing just that. Sitting down on a computer chair, with his brain almost fried and his hair tousled into a messy concoction, his head laying on his arm in frustration on a problem. Never has he ever been stuck on a mathematical equation - in fact when Hiro was around just four years old, his older brother was given a theorem that Hiro discovered, and when he accomplished it, it was notably justify that Hiro was a genus. Smarter than his older brother, and proved a _theorem_ no mathematician could do. But these goddamn _equations_ were going to be the death of him. The problem is, the actual course isn't hard, but his teacher expects so _much_ of him because of his intellectual powers he entitles, that his professor gives him insane and onerous work. It wasn't like Hiro could ask Tadashi for help either, he would lose his end of the deal. (When Hiro was around 12 years old, he told Tadashi he would not ever need to ask him for help, with anything. Especially not math or physics. Because he told his older brother that he was "too smart" to ask for help.) If he lost his deal, he would have to pay Tadashi fifty yen. Not a lot, but Hiro was a man of saving money - for robotic purposes, that is. And of course, gummy bears with Japanese soda pop.

The room was warm, and the windows were ajar to allow the winter's wind to come in and prevent their bedroom from becoming into a sauna. " _Hirooo_ ~ Do you need he-"

"No! I don't need your dumb self!"

"Ow!" Tadashi whined, dodging the large books away from his body. "- Was that even necessary- hey! Stop throwing your text- _OW_!"

Once Hiro ran out, he could feel his stomach yearning for comfort. Maybe food would help him. Gosh, throwing those books made him so hungry. "When is dinner? Maybe I just need food." Hiro asked, pushing away from his desk and spinning in his chair.

Tadashi felt his own stomach grumbling from the mention of food. Food. Food. Food. Oh lord, how hungry he was. "I dunno, I'll go check up on Aunt Cass," Tadashi murmured, with his mouth drooling from the mention of the delicious nourishment that will soon enter his system. He placed down his book, exiting the room with his reveries displaying a scrumptious meal.

Hiro's computer let out a beep, grasping his attention. He spun around, averting his gaze as a new message icon popped up. It was honestly the closest thing Hiro could get as a phone. It wasn't the best thing, but hey, it was better than having no communications at all. It wasn't like Hiro didn't want a phone, but whenever his aunt asked if he wanted one, he always said no. Well, now he wants one and his aunt is constantly forgetting every holiday. Oh well.

 _Hey Hiro, got us a gig. Come join me at 8, it's gonna be lit!_

The corners of Hiro's mouth slowly tugged their way up, and his eyes lit up with elation. He met this guy for quite a while now, and it was the greatest friend Hiro could ask for. Being a natural smart ass, this 14 year old doesn't allow much social activities into his life (not on purpose, of course). Unless that social life meant beatings and name-callings and constant bullying. Especially out of pure jealousy. - But hey! Hiro made it just okay - well sort of.. Okay, not really. There was a really dark time in his life, but he slowly dug himself out of it. Hiro doesn't really like to think back to those time periods, however due to his lack of social interactions with people other than himself, his aunt and his older brother, he was beyond awkward and know not what to say. Because of this, Hiro can't exactly indicate social behaviors, as in, if someone is truly being genuine with the words they spit out. Heck, he's proud when he makes one friend, and on his _own_ with that!

Why yes, the child prodigy is quite an enlightened one to simple things. Hiro took his robot, rolling across his floor with papers and clothes laid haphazardly towards his bed. He leaped on top his bed and stuck his hand outside the window feeling the cold wind. It was a nippy January day but not too freezing for a sweater. Besides, the place would be hot- really balmy if anything, like a tropical, sizzling summer day. He'll just take his lucky sweater. Hiro stuffed his Megabot in his pocket, heading out of his bedroom door.

Tadashi was helping his aunt serve them their dinner, as he placed a scoopful of rice on each plate. "Hiro, come help out."

"Oh, well I was going to go and hang out with Fabrice."

Aunt Cass averted her attention to Hiro, stirring her homemade stir fry. "Aw, but dinner is ready. Plus it's really late out-"

"I'll be back soon, no need to worry. He just asked me to help with a science project. When I come back I'll just eat."

"Don't stay out too late or I will kill you," Cass glared, pointing her finger at him sternly. "10 o'clock is your curfew, understand?"

Hiro shrugged, taking a glance at Tadashi. Oh, Tadashi knew where he was going. But they made a promise that they will never bail on each other, so as usual, Hiro casually walked out of the house, already feeling that rough winter wind brushing past him.

He walked the empty road of San Fransokyo in the dark side of the ally. The clouds were covering the sky and the graffiti vandalized the blocks of rotten and decaying buildings that had chipping walls. The pavement wasn't all that promising either, the potholes made Hiro trip more than once. It also didn't help that his stomach was grumbling like a wild man - like someone who is starving and just survived 10 years of imprisonment. _It also didn't help_ that he just passed by the mouthwatering whiff of barbecue sauce and grilled ribs. Oh, that stir fry sounds _so_ good just about now. Perhaps after the bot fight he could grab a quick bite at Nosh-and-Bosh. They have some pretty good fries, oh, and sundaes.

Ugh, now Hiro was really hungry.

"Hey!"

With a noticeable leaped, Hiro jerked his body around seeing Fabrice removing his hands from Hiro's shoulders.

"Sheesh man, don't scare me like that." They both laughed, walking through the alleyway. "H-hey, where's Grace?"

Fabrice chewed on his gum, making Hiro drool at the scrumptious aroma of Juicy Fruit. "I told her it would just be the guys tonight. You know, she told me she likes you."

Hiro was caught off guard. Back up, likes Hiro? He only met her two months ago. How can one say they like someone without actually getting to know them. Hiro thought that only happened in Disney movies. And his life is not going to end up as a cheesy Disney movie. Grace couldn't possibly like him - unless of course it's because of his hideous looks. Hiro can list all the reasons why Grace shouldn't like him. And he couldn't think of one to actually allow himself to think someone likes him.

Hiro blushed, motioning his head side to side. "I don't really like her like that though…"

Fabrice smirked, staring at his flushed friend. "You know…" Fabrice trailed off, taking out his phone and placing his arm around Hiro's shoulder. "You might change your mind once you see her _nudes_."

Hiro cringed, pushing Fabrice off of him. "Gross dude, she isn't like that!"

Fabrice almost collapsed on the floor in laughter. Struggling to open the door from his ecstasy. "Yo, I was totally just kidding. You should have seen your face - _priceless_!"

"Ha-ha, _hilarious_." Hiro rolled his eyes, entering the room, waiting for his turn to sit down onto the pillow. The crowds were yelling and cheering with bottles of liquor in their hands.

Hiro used his same tactic and sat on the pillow, betting on half of his money making his opponent bet even more. The older man had a beard whiter than Santa's, and his breath could be smelled from miles away ~ it was such a repugnant scent of rum. The crowd knew Hiro, and some who didn't, underestimated him like he was a joke. Well, who would have thought a 14 year old kid, who looks like he hasn't even gone through puberty yet, is going to win against a boulder. His little, puny robot wasn't going to win against a truck. Right?

Once the fight started, Hiro purposely lost, betting even more money. This was a daily routine at this point. He loses intentionally just so he can gather more than 20000 yen. Yeah, Hiro is a little rascal in many people's eyes. He placed down more than 50 grand of yen in the tray, eyeing as the old man complacently dumped twice the amount. Only the Lord knew how much this man wished he didn't spend his rent money that night.

With just a flick of a few buttons it was obvious who was winning. Little prodigy boy who usually won everything - finally got to keep his _130,000_ yen. Who knew, right? Hiro grabbed the money, walking away from the old man who was on the edge of tears. Pretty much all the bot fights were in dark alleyways of San Fransokyo, you would think a 14 year old would be a little apprehensive around danger. Not this kid, this kid was practically vein to the bone around people. Which made him a little overwhelming to be around. Especially after he won - whether it was easy or not. However, something about tonight made his skin crawl. Was it the flickering light or the sky that laid eerily across the city that was pretty dark tonight? There were no stars nor a moon, and the ominous clouds that threatened to allow small flurries to glide through the frigid air.

It felt like a true horror movie to Hiro. Two teenagers walking through dark alleyways in the depths of hell. Sounds a recipe for a killer to come out of nowhere. Well stay tune! Will they survive? Or will they die?

"Hey," Hiro jerked from Fabrice's surprise speech. "I need your help with something."

"Uh… Sure? What is it?"

Fabrice felt a little skittish to ask but he had to. Otherwise him and his friend would get the dirt. It was wrong yes, and Hiro would most likely get the wrong idea - no it's not even wrong. It's the truth, he was practically using Hiro to get money. "I need you to give me 50 grand."

Hiro was confused and stopped short in his tracks. Fabrice silently cursed himself, stopping as well and facing Hiro's face. "Why?"

Hiro grew defensive and clenched his money tightly in his pockets. The hunger in his stomach was increasing rapidly. The weather was too cold and his thoughts weren't processing correctly. Not only that, but starvation changes a person, and Hiro was growing angrier than he usually would. At least Hiro would make rational decisions and connect A and B together, but right now, all Hiro could think was this kid was using him for only money. That's why he didn't bring Grace. Did he set Hiro up?

"Hiro, it's too complicated. But I promise I'll pay you back. If you don't want to get hurt, then I suggest you giving me the money."

* * *

Tadashi Hamada was enjoying his lovely dinner with his favorite aunt in the whole world, (to be honest, Tadashi didn't even know if he had anymore aunts or uncles) Cass, not paying any mind to his phone that was sending out alarms from Hiro's jacket. He took his poker cards, contemplating if he should be betting on his lucky stars. He was biting his tongue and secretly taking sneaky glances at Cass. A full house baby! He was going to get all the money tonight!

"Full house," Tadashi smirked, slamming down the cards. "Two eights, and three jokers."

Cass sucked her teeth, rolling her eyes. "Sorry baby, looks like I got a fuller house. Royal flush."

Tadashi's mouth literally dropped with eyes locked onto Cass's deck of cards. "H-how?"

"I don't know, once DJ and Stephanie grew up, I just knew."

Err...

* * *

"Here I thought you were my friend - instead you just wanted to hang out for _money_! You're just like everyone else!"

Fabrice captivated his gaze on the wet concrete, feeling the guilt of playing Hiro tonight. He should have just asked before, he's sure Hiro would have said yes. This was the wrong time, oh how guilty he felt. "Hiro, I know this seems like I'm playing you but, I didn't mean to ask you like that."

"What did you mean then?" Hiro stuffed his money in his pocket, scowling at his friend. How could Fabrice use him like that? And how did Hiro not catch on?

"Please-"

"Fabrice!" Fabrice cringed, and Hiro was addled at the man's sudden appearance. Was he going to die? Is this the night where he actually says goodbye to his lucky stars? "Where the fuck is the money?"

The money… The money, is this why Fabrice asked? Shit. Why was Hiro being so stubborn? It's because he's hungry. All he wants is food. Maybe a little bit of food will calm down everyone. Yeah? Yeah. Yeah of course.

"I-I-I don't have it, give me one more day, just one. Is all I ask."

The buffed man that looked like Cyborg chuckled. And it wasn't the haha, so nice type of chuckle. It was the chuckle that was alarming, the one that's made Hiro's stomach churn. And not because of hunger. "Who the hell is this kid?"

Fabrice tried to force himself not to tremble with fear, but his hands were already shaking. Hiro sort of just stayed back at a far enough distance. Why was he brought in this petty argument? He might as well give the guy all his money at this point, and if the guy did ask Hiro for money, and Hiro said no, well people might as well consider him suicidal.

"He's just my friend."

The tattooed covered man shook the ground with every step he took when he headed towards Hiro. Before Hiro could nonchalantly say hi, he was lifted up by the man's monstrous hands as if he was a one pound dumbbell. Curse Hiro and his weightless body. "Well you better go and get me your money or I will do a lot of shitty things to this piece of crap."

Ouch, there goes Hiro's self esteem.

Fabrice knew what his friend was in for if he didn't get the money. They would do everything they did to him, possibly worse. Fabrice still had a scar on his forearm from the burn mark they sheared on him with a metal stick. Melting his skin to the bone. But every time was different.

The panic was arising rapidly in Hiro's mind. Why wasn't Tadashi here by now? The only reason he kept calm was because silently knew Tadashi would come riding on his motorcycle to rescue Hiro. So where was he? Is he sleeping? Hiro gulped, wincing as he tried to gasp for air. "H-hey, let's talk a-about this," Hiro tried to speak, only for his words to come out muffled. His wobbly hands drew the money to the guy's face.

The man laughed such a manic laugh, with a leer grin and devilish eyes. It was the same gaze, the same sound this man laughed when Fabrice was in that very position. It was already too late for Hiro, this guy was going to take him to his "lovely" hangout, where he and his demented buddies would do all the wrong to Hiro. And the worse part was, it was all Fabrice's fault. He genuinely liked Hiro as a friend, and Hiro did not deserve this at all. He deserves so much better, and he deserves much more reverence than the respect they're going to give him. Hiro deserves someone who actually cares about him, and not someone who cares only about their own selfish wishes.

"42, he didn't do anything wrong. Just leave him alone," Fabrice declared with a sturdy voice. He had to muster all the courage within him to actually try and defend Hiro.

42 laughed once more, turning his head like a mental patient. "You should really just shut the _fuck_ up before I get really pissed off." 42 gritted his teeth, growling like a rabid dog. He pulled his attention back to Hiro, who was struggling to be let loose. His airways were closing and the oxygen was slowly running out.

 _Tadashi where are you?_

Hiro looked around, swinging his leg to kick 42 in the groin before he slammed Hiro on the floor. Hiro grimaced, feeling his ribs throbbing - they were most probably fractured at this point. But Hiro was a smart kid, and he knew when to let pain stop him.

 _The three boys were all gathered around, circling Hiro in a tight space. The 8 year old was confused as to why they were angry at him._

 _"So you think you are better than us now, do you?" Matthew spat out, getting his spit all over Hiro's face. Hiro kept his little notebook filled with his drawings along with his plush monster snake he had when he was young. It was the only thing his parents gave to him. And even though he never met them, it still held a special place in his heart. "Aw, what is this? Your little chew toy? Are you still in teething?" The kid yanked the doll out of Hiro's hand, smashing down his notebook onto the floor. "Such a cute little thing, don'tcha think?"_

 _"Hey, give that back!" Hiro tried to jump, reaching as far as his little hands could go._

 _Matthew laughed, pushing the small boy onto the muddy ground, smashing Hiro's face in the dirt before kicking his leg. Hiro grunted, pushing himself off from the ground seeing Matthew tearing off it's head, tossing it around onto the floor. His little goons all laughed before stepping on the snake. "Just stop coming to this school and all of this could be avoided-"_

 _"Hey! Get away from my little brother!"_

 _"Crap, let's go!"_

 _Tadashi quickly ran over to his younger brother, wiping off the dirt that was spread around all over his baby brother's face. There was a small scrape on his chin, and a wound on his knee and elbow. Tadashi just prayed that he never saw those boys again, otherwise he might wind up in jail._

 _"I'm okay, really. But snakie isn't," Hiro whined, picking up the two pieces that was drenched in mud. "I'm sure you can fix him though, right?" Hiro said, smiling as his gap tooth shined through Tadashi._

Hiro struggled to lift himself up before he felt the hood of his jacket being pulled. He tried to twist and turned, thrashing like a fish out of water attempting to remove the sweater off of him. Fabrice tried to help Hiro run before he was pushed into the wall.

Hiro tried to block, but his reflexes were sluggish. All those practices with Tadashi never paid off, and Hiro felt his nose bleeding, with blood dripping down onto his shirt. 42 wrenched Hiro's hair, seeing his face filled with agony. It made 42 laugh before he knocked Hiro out of consciousness.

* * *

Tadashi finished cleaning the dishes before positioning them in the dish rack. "Ah, another day's work." Tadashi said with a sigh, wiping his forehead.

He stared back at Hiro's plate that was covered with food, what time was it? Shouldn't Hiro have came back by now? Was he and his aunt really all that invested in their poker game? Tadashi peered over to see the clock that was hung on the wall, "11:15?"

The kid was way past out his curfew, surely his bot fight didn't last all that long. And if he was in jail Tadashi would have already been notified. Right? Tadashi quickly looked outside, trying to see if Hiro was even nearby their house. Not a single body was seen, or a single car. The snow was falling already and Tadashi knew it would be a pain in the ass to drive through. Usually it doesn't snow down here in Califronia, but ever since 2026, the weather here was dropping. Tadashi reached for his phone, feeling his heart dropped once he noticed all the notifications his alarm sent out. He quickly listened to the recording, hearing every single word. His heart was gunning and his mind was racing. He nearly tripped over his own footing before he leaped down the stairs to the front door. He had to make sure Hiro was alright.

How did he not hear the alarm? Why did he play such a stupid game of poker? Tadashi raced on his scooter to the site, squinting his eyes when he was a blurry figure laying on the floor. Tadashi stopped short, leaping off his motorcycle before running to the mysterious object. But there was no person, there was no living being even near by.

"Hiro's jacket? And his robot?"

* * *

 **There! I hope you liked it and yah. The story is going to be different, but I'm sure no one really minds. Please remember, I love reviews more than anything in the world, and I hope you give my story a big fav! I'm very passionate about this story and people leaving me reviews gives me more confidence in my writing. C:**


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter does contain _sexual assault_ HOWEVER! The point of this story is to **_raise awareness_** for people whose voices have been unheard or _silenced_. (It's not like I go into full detail or anything) Anyway, I want to make this _clear_ and I hope that this story **influences** the readers that this _does_ happen. Maybe not exactly like this, but defiantly along the lines. Thank you, and enjoy.

* * *

The night sky was frightfully eerie, almost as if the moon has part ways with Earth. Or those little trinkets of starlight, vanished. The bitter cold was making the this year the coldest winter since _1972_. The fingertips on Tadashi's bare hands were gradually evolving into a deep, shade of red. His cheeks were flushed and the frigid night dropped down thirty degrees than two hours ago. He was sure he was going to catch something tonight. Tadashi was frantic by the situation, perhaps even more neurotic than Wasabi, but he had to remain his phlegmatic position. The worse he could do is react irrationally to this incident that he has wrongfully allowed such a thing to happen? No, how the hell could Hiro be so _stupid_? After so many talks Tadashi gave him, he still disobeyed his older brother. Only God knows what the hell those dimwits are doing to his little brother. It would have been wise to call 911, but Tadashi didn't want to crazily jump into conclusions. Honey rubbed off on him - if she was here what would she do? She would say: Hiro probably went home and is now sleeping like a baby.

Yeah, that's all. Right? It's only 12:05 outside, how far could this knucklehead travel? He had to be around. Okay Tadashi, don't get too carried away. Hiro is probably all right. His younger rascal of a brother is most certainly in a bed, filled with covers and matching blankets, curled up and sleeping away like a little angel. Yes? Or perhaps, Hiro is eating his dinner he left on the counter because he's so hungry. Poor boy didn't have anything this whole day. Okay Tadashi, it's okay. It's completely okay. It's fine! It's fantastic even! Absolutely fantastic. Fantastic, like really _fantastic_. Tadashi was going to lose his mind. He's been searching for an hour and still no sign. Children who get kidnapped mostly _die_ within the first seven hours - scratch that, within the first _hour_. And the worse part is, he didn't even know where the hell Fabrice lives. If Tadashi doesn't find Hiro in about three minutes he is going to call the police.

"Okay Hiro, quit playing games with me. Haha, you got me. Come out now!" Tadashi tittered, scratching the back of his head nervously.

This wasn't time for games and this sure as hell wasn't time for pranks. It's late at night; it's blistery cold and Tadashi just drove through a puddle getting water inside his shoes. Just great.

He was strolling around with his scooter, going through small spaces to large places in the city. Hiro just had to be somewhere; somewhere close to his jacket. Tadashi kept inspecting every little space of the city in complete scrutiny. It would make sense if people mistaken him to be a detective - Tadashi might as well be one. His mind was blank and only one thought filled the void inside his head: Find Hiro. However, the more he passed each square inch of the town, the more despondent he felt. He could feel his hope slipping away from his glossy hands. He had to accept the possibility that Hiro was kidnapped.

Wow, that word was so foreign to him. How the hell could Tadashi be a father if he can't even protect Hiro? Crown Tadashi the title for being the worse brother ever. He deserves it, who the hell agrees to their younger brother over some pathetic bargain. It was a stupid rule that meant everything to Hiro... _which is why I even accepted that dumb list._

Tadashi stopped his vehicle, taking out his phone, this was it. There was no other way to get around it, he has to call the police. His brother could be dead and it would be all Tadashi's fault for delaying. He brought the phone close to his face waiting for the police to answer.

" _911, what's your emergency?_ "

This was it... "There's been a kidnapping. I tried looking for him but he was no where to be found. He was suppose to be home by 10, but I-" Tadashi couldn't say he installed a tracking system on his brother... "I got a voicemail and he was being attacked. He's 14 and -"

" _Okay sir, I'm going to ask you to calm down, okay? Where was he going?_ "

Shit.

"I don't, I don't _know_. He said he going somewhere with his- H-hold on, wait I think I see him!" Tadashi hung up, squinting his eyes at the silhouette. He moved his hands with such speed, jolting towards the figure with his wheels screeching against the pavement. "Hiro! _Hiro_! Is that you?!"

The mysterious figure pivoted around, stopping abruptly in his tracks. Tadashi slowed down his motorcycle, with his eyes squinting to catch a better glimpse of the guy. It was nowhere close to a 14 year old's body. And Tadashi was pretty sure Hiro didn't age in the course of 3 hours into a full out grown man, who somehow brought a suit and a briefcase. His hair was a musty brown color and Tadashi swore he saw a tattoo on that guy. His stubble beard was what caught Tadashi's eyes though. "No sorry, I'm no hero. But I can try and help if you tell me anything."

Tadashi stopped his motorcycle, apprehensively gazing at the man. He probably just got out of work. No one in their right mind would be walking so late at night in only a suit. Right? Besides this man could know where his little brother is. Still, Tadashi has a bad hunch about this guy, something about him just didn't feel right. "Uh... He is pretty short. He has crazy black hair, and he was wearing a blue shirt with black pants."

"Hm... I think I saw _something_ blue just down a couple of blocks to the left. I hope you find him sir. Have a good night."

"Oh thank you, thank you _so_ much _!_ " Tadashi grinned, dashing away from the man. He turned around to a few blocks down the buildings. " _Hiro_!"

The street lights were flickering, and the small, hunched over figure was stumbling on his own two feet. His hair was extra messy and it seemed to be a drunk man rather than his little brother. But nonetheless, Tadashi couldn't take any chances.

"... _Hiro_?"

* * *

 _"Fabrice! Unless you rather die for a piece of shit, I suggest you do what I say!"_

 _9:47_

Inside the rotting building, roamed the little mice and cockroaches, and smelly old people who drowned themselves in alcohol. Music on full blast to knock out the sounds of people fighting in the warehouse. But today was a somewhat good day, there was no bickering. Well, except for the Japanese descendant that was laying on the hard floor.

Hiro grunted, shunning his eyes away from the blinding light. His head was throbbing the same speed as his heart, with agony and every nerve in his brain pumping hard against his skull. Every time Hiro moved his eye, even if it was a small budge - it still sent excruciating migraines. Instead of Hiro trying to fight or run, (which he knew was risky anyway) took his chances and continue to bide on the floor. Completely motionless, silently praying for Tadashi to come running through those doors, saving his little brother. Scolding at these terrible men for beating him up. Especially since every difficult breath Hiro took was filled with arrant agony. That 42 guy did Hiro wrong, throwing him onto the concrete floor like he was a rag doll.

Hiro _wanted_ someone to come and swoop him up. Fabrice is over here, scared shitless mind you, (with the mental capability of a preschooler) and no actual potential to help Hiro because if he did, he would most likely get the metal stick. But it wasn't like Fabrice _wanted_ to do this, he didn't want to see Hiro in pain. No, he wanted Hiro to be free. But the real question was: why wasn't he running? Hiro's fast when he wants to be, especially if adrenaline is kicking in! He could easily escape and make it. So why wasn't he? Fabrice was becoming flummoxed and vexed with Hiro as each passing second went by. He wanted to _scream_ at Hiro, scream at him for giving up just like that. For not at least _trying_. Because that was not the Hiro he knew.

Hiro slowly moved his aching head to see out the broken window. The opening was way too high for him to actually make a jump and climb up the ladder. They would probably drag him back down to hell in a heartbeat. It was still night however, which was a somewhat good thing - but how late was it? Is Tadashi even wondering if he's alright? Probably not.

To Hiro's guess, it was probably 10, he left at around 8, yet, it doesn't look any darker. Just the same. Everything was the same except for the fact he's on the floor with his head throbbing. Don't forget how cold it was in this dump.

Fabrice hesitantly tugged his feet towards Hiro, taking a small shaky breath. This was only the beginning. Hiro looked up at Fabrice with a pained expression. He thought Fabrice was going to help him up, he was sort of hoping he would. But that's not what Fabrice would do, even if Fabrice didn't want to hurt him, he had to. However the question is, _what_ was he going to do? Why was he taking his sweet time to get over to Hiro? The faster he goes, the least amount of time Hiro would have to experience anything.

 _Remember Hiro, this is all about mental capability. It doesn't hurt, the pain isn't even the-_ Without even a moment to spare, he felt all the oxygen being knocked out of him. Hiro grasped for something to hold but ended empty handed. His fingers desperately tried to tear open the ground with his finger nails collecting dirt. There was nothing to hold, nothing to squeeze but his own stomach, _wheezing_ for air that seemed inaccessible.

The aching feeling he felt as his stomach churned made him feel this undeniable urge to puke. His natural body instincts curled him up into a ball, while his shaky arms wrapped around his stomach. Fabrice's kicks seemed to become more and more ruthless, even though Fabrice was actually trying to make it seem like he was trying to kick Hiro to the pulp. He got a couple of swings at Hiro's head and back while everyone around was just cheering, like this was some football game and their favorite team was winning. Hiro peeked open his eyes once the kicking ceased, and unsurprisingly the man who brought him to this lamentable warehouse, was hovering right over him.

42's beast-like hands wrenched Hiro's hair, nearly scalping him as he dragged Hiro across the wooden floor. Hiro gyrated, flinging his hands up to his hair, digging his nonexistent nails into 42's hand. Rather than actually hurting the man, it felt nothing but ants crawling on top. 42 heaved Hiro, forcing him to get up on his legs while he never let go of his hair. Hiro staggered his way up, still hoping Tadashi would come. Any minute now, just any minute Tadashi would be. He had to be here. He had to be!

"You know what, how about we just grab something to eat and call it a day, yeah?" Hiro sheepishly asked, trying to soothe down this monstrous guy. What was the chances of that actually happening? None. None at all.

42 laughed at Hiro's imprudent comment. How dare Hiro talk to him like they were best friends or something? 42 had a smug looked, flinging Hiro against the hard concrete pole with his hand still wrapped around Hiro's hair. He winced, trying to move his fiddling fingers to 42's; he hated the discomfort he felt from his hair being pulled. The sickening crack echoed around the building, even with the rowdy audience. Hiro muzzled his nose before 42 punched him on the other side. Blood was beginning to ooze down, dripping hastily on his mouth and forming a small puddle on the floor. Hiro tried his best to conceal his pain but the truth was, it hurt way too much. He couldn't scream, but he kept wincing as 42's punches was growing even more barbaric.

Tears at this point seemed pointless. Nonetheless, they were threatening to come down. "Aw, what is this? You're crying?" 42 taunted as he flung his knee with such speed at Hiro's ribs.

At that exact moment, the excruciating pain was just too surreal for Hiro. He felt like his own body was giving out due to the pain. Hiro couldn't scream though, and he couldn't cry. Not in front of this guy, no, not in front of anyone. 42 cupped Hiro's face, demanding Hiro to see him. Almost as if 42 was King of the whole world. But Hiro couldn't stare into this monster's eye. He didn't want to see the hideousness this guy retained. All Hiro could do was gasp for air, slightly squinting his eye. 42 stopped once he felt a hand on his shoulder that belonged to his leader. "That's enough, you're wasting all of my fun," they both chuckled.

What the hell did that mean? Hiro was silently freaking out inside his mind, preparing for all the possible scenarios that could happen to him. Imagining the worse one out of it all just to give himself _some_ comfort. He knew better than to say anything witty, or to try and worm his way out. And he knew that if he showed fear, even worse would come to him. Instead, he focused on his breathing, it was all he had to do to live. The leader wrapped his left hand around Hiro's neck, gripping him like a dog as he pinned him on the floor. Hiro's poor fingers kept fidgeting but it made him focus more on his hand than some of the pain.

The floor was rough and uneven, and Hiro shut his eyes tightly preparing for this guy to probably stab him or something. It would hurt like hell, Hiro knew that, but at least it wouldn't come as a surprise. He felt something else, and the sounds he was hearing made his heart race. He blundered his eyes open seeing the leader unbuckling his belt. Hiro didn't want this at all. Anything would better than _this_ , _any_ thing. The terror that filled Hiro was unforgettable to everyone who saw the look on his face. Even though most of the crowd was cheering it on, laughing, they couldn't help but feel a bit bad. Some even thought that this was a little too extreme. Once the leader got his buckle off and his pants were already torn off his legs, Hiro's body involuntarily spas out, clouting the leader's face.

 _Shit, shit, shit._ ** _Shit_**!

He saw the leader's revolting face. His pasty, colorless skin and wretched mouth that reeked of beer and cigars made Hiro want to puke. Tattoos filled his oval sized face like a little kid drew on it and Hiro wanted to so badly cry like a little baby. Just completely scream and cry. He inwardly beat himself up once he noticed the leader was breathing furiously. Oh boy, he was going to die tonight. "Hand me the fucking hammer!" The leader's raspy voice made the whole room go silent due to the deaf worthy stentorian voice he had. It frightened everyone, and just think how Hiro felt being underneath this guy!

Fabrice shook his head watching the man staggering to his leader with a hammer in his hand. The thing is, the leader isn't going to try and kill the boy. He was too young to die, but not too young for him to feel the most traumatic experience. Just like how he was too young to see the things he saw. To feel, and experience the things he was _forced_ to endure. However it made Hiro petrified to do anything but cringed beneath him, shaking violently.

"Here, Satoshi," 42 smirked, handing Satoshi the hammer.

His malign smile sent chills rising up Hiro's spine. Hiro cowardly stared at Satoshi with a petrified gaze, shaking his head at him. Mouthing 'please don't'. It was almost like Hiro really couldn't keep up. This was too emotional for him, and it made his mind flutter with apprehension. Satoshi lowered himself on top of Hiro, making him wince in pain. He grabbed Hiro's right hand, slamming it down on the hard floor. "Don't you _dare_ touch me again, understood you little shit?"

Hiro fearfully nodded in acknowledgment with his right fingers twitching anxiously. His heart was racing, thumping rapidly against his chest. Small droplets of sweat were forming on Hiro's face from all the pain he tried to pretend wasn't there. At this point, his mind was nothing but a blur, and the pain was clouding his thoughts. "Somehow, I don't fucking believe you."

Hiro took a deep breath, shutting his eyes tightly. Wheezing for air once again. Satoshi bent Hiro's ring finger first, bringing the hammer back and slamming it at full speed. Fabrice jumped, backing up into the wall seeing Hiro flinching. He was in astonishment from the fact that Hiro still kept his promise to himself to not cry. To not even scream. Eve if the agony was too much for the 14 year old. At this point, Satoshi merely chuckled, taking his pinkie finger and laying it on its side. He jammed the hammer on his pinkie hearing the crackling sound of bone breaking, resulting Hiro to squeal ever so softly. Satoshi was roused that Hiro wasn't screaming, it was almost turning him off. But nonetheless, he laughed manically, while he swung the hammer at Hiro's middle finger.

Fabrice couldn't bare to watch anymore of this, he could feel himself starting to cry from all the guilt and empathy he was feeling for the Japanese boy. That should've been him there. _He_ should be the one having his fingers crushed with a hammer, not Hiro. He turned his head away from shame because Fabrice knew he could have helped Hiro. And instead, he chose to watch. A guy like him, didn't even deserve to live.

Satoshi smirked one last time, forcing Hiro to look at him as he nearly popped his eyes out. Satoshi wanted to see Hiro's terror as he unzipped Hiro's pants. His face to Satoshi was absolutely priceless.

"Please stop!" Hiro sobbed, knowing it was a worthless attempt. Satoshi only laugh.

He tried to be brave, he tried to but he couldn't anymore. All he could do was try to kick and move his arms around. And scream and cry, but no one will help. No one.

 _Tadashi..._

* * *

Aunt Cass was sitting on her living room's floor, unconsciously biting her fingernails with her other hand tapping on the table in front of her. It was nearly midnight and Tadashi was no where to be found, and the last time she saw Hiro was at 8 o'clock. Where the hell did they go? Why wasn't Tadashi answering his cell? They wouldn't go to Fred's house, would they? Or Honey's? ... Cass quickly dialed Honey's house hoping she wasn't disturbing Honey's rest.

" _Hello_?" Honey asked, completely wide awake in her house.

"Hello Honey, I apologize calling so late, but have you seen or heard from Tadashi or even Hiro?"

" _It's not biggie, and no. They aren't with me at all, and the university closed a while ago. Do you want me to call him?_ " Honey asked, placing down her mixture of her infamous fudge brownies. The blonde was beginning to worry for her friends, it wasn't like them to leave their aunt like that.

Cass let out a hopeless sigh; she had to be positive. She just had to. "No, it's alright. He's not answering his phone... Thank you though, goodnight."

" _If you need anything, feel free to call. Goodnight Miss Hamada, and I'm sure they're fine._ "

Cass hung up her phone, tossing it at nowhere in particular. Where the hell could these boys have gone?

* * *

Satoshi placed on a brown wig before fixing up his tie and heading out of the warehouse, with a briefcase filled with all of Hiro's money. Hiro was left on the floor crying to himself before he was scurrying to place on his clothes. Every inch of him, _hurt_. His mouth felt disgusting, and his body felt violated. Nothing about it was pleasurable at all, but that was the point. Fabrice tried to help Hiro but he could barely look at him. Instead he watched as Hiro lifelessly stumbled out of the warehouse with his face all smashed up, and his clothes filled with dirt and stains of his own blood.

Tadashi immediately spotted a small silhouette figure in the distance walking down the narrow street. Tadashi moved his hands, forcing the scooter to go faster than before. "Hiro! _Hiro_! Is that you?!"

Satoshi smiled before he turned around, stopping abruptly. Tadashi saw him with such a blank expression on his face. His hair was a musty brown and Tadashi swore he saw a tattoo on that guy. His stubble beard was what caught Tadashi's eyes though. "I'm sorry to inform you but, I'm afraid I'm not Hiro. But I can try and help if you tell me anything."

Tadashi stopped his motorcycle, staring at the guy up and down. He probably just got out of work, no one in the right mind would be walking so late at night in only a suit. "He is pretty short, he has crazy hair. He was wearing a blue shirt with black pants."

"Hm... I think I saw _something_ blue just down a couple of block to the left. I hope you find him sir. Have a good night."

"Oh thank you, thank you _so_ much _!_ " Tadashi dashed around to a few blocks down the buildings. " _Hiro_!"

"...Hiro?"

Hiro couldn't even run, even if he wanted to. His legs were giving up on him and the bitter cold made it difficult for his feet to try and even budge. But the look on Tadashi's face while he ran to his younger brother with his sweater over his shoulders was, heart-wrenching. Tadashi slid on his knees, with his eyes locked on Hiro's bashed face. Fabrice helped Hiro when everything and everyone was gone, cleaning up Hiro's face. The poor boy was beaten from such extremes that even with the blood cleaned up, scratches and bruises were lingering. Tadashi fumbled with the jacket, shaking while he tried to put it over Hiro's freezing body.

Tadashi couldn't find the words before he clutched Hiro's shoulders. "What happened to you?!"

Hiro couldn't find an excuse and stood quiet for quite some time before Tadashi asked again, but this time his voice was shaky. Almost like he was crying, and that sent a dagger into Hiro's heart. "A robot at the fight went beserko while I was trying to beat it. And it ended up backfiring on me. So I went over to Fabrice's and he tried to take me home, but when I went to put on my sweater, I fainted on the floor. That's all."

"Why didn't you call then?"

"I thought you were asleep... Can we just go home now? It's freezing?" Hiro pleaded, before Tadashi tentatively picked him up for a piggy back ride.

The ride home was silent and Hiro desperately wanted to take a shower, but he was so exhausted from everything he couldn't. Tadashi parked his scooter in his garage, helping Hiro up the stairs. Cass was immediately alerted when she heard the stairs creaking. She bounced up from her chair with such anxiousness. Hiro place on his hood to eschew another lecture. He wanted to avoid Cass and just hurry up to his bed.

"I'm sorry aunt Cass for worrying you, I was sleeping at Fabrice's house," Hiro quickly said, ignoring his aunt's shouting.

"He's just cranky..." Tadashi said, hugging his aunt.

"That doesn't excuse anything! Hiro! _Hiro_ get back down here, right now!"

 _Slam._

"I thought - Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you call me? Why did you think it was okay to leave me in the dark like that? I swear you kids are going to be the cause of my diabetes. Stress eating! Okay, no. It's not okay! Hiro you hear me? It's not okay! We're having a long talk tomorrow! I swear to God, you will never see the light of day again. Mochi, let's go. My God, Tadashi you too. You think you're off the hook? Hah! If I have to I'll just take you guys out of school. Julie you have no idea how much trouble your kids are in. I swear by the end of tomorrow you won't even recognize them! I honestly don't know what's worse at this point. Their inventions, their arrests, or Hiro's rebellious side coming out. Oh my God, what if he is experiencing strange and powerful urges. I think I might lose it. I am not a parent, okay? Do I know anything about angsty teenagers? No! Just because I was one doesn't mean I know what to do! Such an un-"

Cass shut her door to her room still going off on her rant to her dead sister... Who probably wasn't even listening. Tadashi knew it would be awful if Cass found Hiro the way he did. What a night that would have been. At least it can be bothered tomorrow morning. Still, Tadashi had to look at Hiro's face before he goes to bed. Put some peroxide over his wound so Hiro would be okay... Maybe tomorrow morning.


	3. Chapter 3

The sounds of Hiro's wretched screams brought Tadashi's attention almost immediately. He nearly scattered on the floor trying to remove the blankets from his cold body. He quickly ran over to Hiro, shaking him violently to wake up. Screaming over and over again: "It's just a dream... Just a dream." Hiro's body that laid beneath his older brother kept thrashing around violently. Swinging his arms and kicking his legs all over the place; like fish out of the water. His own vocal cords were being torn apart by his ruthless shouting, almost to the point his screams became scratchy and rougher. Tadashi has never seen Hiro act like this in his entire life, sure, he had the occasional nightmare. But those were when he was young and it was common. And besides, Hiro would always wake up anyway, and then head over to Tadashi's bed and sleep with him. Right now it seems to Hiro that this nightmare is real, and it's happening to him now. Tadashi shook Hiro once more, making his eyes shot open while he continued breathing heavily, and tears were very visible on his flushed cheeks. "A-are you okay?"

Hiro was shaking violently, pushing Tadashi out the way. "Y-yeah, 'course, I'm okay. It's just a nightmare, I'm fine," Hiro tried to say, but his throat was burning and each syllable was hard to pronounce.

"It didn't seem like any old nightmare, you were really screaming back there, and plus you were crying."

Hiro quickly got out of bed, ignoring his older brother's concerns. Hiro grabbed his towel, heading towards the bathroom to take a quick shower. Hopefully, he could clean away all the filth that Satoshi lingered. And hopefully, tonight he could go to bed without seeing his face. Without seeing any of their faces. Hopefully.

"Hiro, I said _wait_ ," Tadashi's stern voice made his younger brother jump from pure fear. And that's when he noticed, Hiro's hand was showing.

He tried to speak up, but his voice was hoarse and very gruff. Making it very difficult to hear if there was any slight noise in the background "...what?"

Tadashi walked over to Hiro, grabbing his right wrist tightly. His delusions were getting the best of him, instead of Tadashi holding on his wrist, it was Satoshi's and his God-forsaken grin. His heart was gunning faster than the speed of light and his natural instincts were telling him to run. He was about to squirm away screaming but controlled himself not too. He had to tell himself this was Tadashi. This is your older brother, and your older brother would never hurt you. Would he? "Your fingers? Explanation, _now_."

Hiro inwardly winced, seeing how bloody and dismantled his finger actually looked. He really should have gone to the hospital..."The robot, it took one of its weapons and slammed it on them...I-I didn't think it was _this_ serious. Honest."

"Jesus Hiro! Why couldn't you just stay home for the night?" Hiro heard Tadashi's voice cracking, wondering the same thing. Why couldn't he just stayed home and ate dinner like a regular person? Like a normal human being. He grabbed Hiro's left hand and made him go downstairs. "Aunt Cass! I need you to take us to the hospital, now. It's an emergency."

"Why? What happened? Is Hiro okay!?" Cass quickly watched the boys going down the stairs; Hiro looking away from everyone.

"His fingers were crushed."

"Oh my gosh!" Cass's eyes nearly popped out of her head once she saw Hiro's hand, she reached her purse, beckoning the boys frantically.

Hiro gulped, taking a small breath before speaking. He really didn't want to go to the emergency room, he didn't want to go anywhere. "I'm fine. Really, it l-looks worse than it feels."

"Hiro! Why can't you just ask for help sometimes? You think I like seeing you hurt? Where were you last night?" Cass nearly screamed, driving the truck like a mad woman.

"I um, I..." Hiro took a long pause, there was no point in lying. He was going to the hospital no doubt about it. "I was with my friends at a...fight."

"Fight? What fight? Why were you fighting!?" Aunt Cass was beginning to freak out, who would hit a 14-year-old boy like that? And who would break someone's fingers on top of that!?

"He was, uh, at a bot fight," Tadashi sheepishly answered, knowing he would get in trouble as well for keeping it as a secret.

Aunt Cass was too overwhelmed and agitated to scream at Tadashi too. How did she not know about any of this? Was it because she trusted Hiro too much that now he completely took it for granted? She thought, all this time, he was just at school working on a project. To know he was actually fighting robots just got her so overly emotional. She was a wreck, how could she not know? Was she just that unfit to be a parent?

Once the Hamada family waited anxiously in the hospital, the doctor finally declared his fingers needed to have surgery and then be placed in a cast, Cass tiredly covered her face, completely annoyed by this boy.

"S-surgery? No! Please, I don't want that, can't there be another w-"

"Your fingers are in critical condition, you need surgery."

"Hiro, _grow up_ for once," Cass flipped out, slamming her hands on her lap, making Hiro jump once more. Her stern voice sent shivers down everyone's spines, and of course, it made Hiro stop whining. She practically had to control herself from not slapping Hiro across his face.

"You'll begin your surgery once I fix your nose, okay?" Despite the doctor's soothing voice, Hiro cringed. He knew what happens when you break your nose, and what they do to fix it. And honestly, Hiro rather have a broken nose.

"No! Please, I'm fine. It's not even broke-OW!" Hiro flung his hands over his nose with Tadashi impatiently tapping his foot.

"Really now? I barely touched it."

The doctor merely chuckled, reassuring Hiro it would not hurt as much as he thought it was. That is until Hiro heard a crack in his nose once the doctor pushed it back. Poor Hiro screamed so loudly the whole room looked at the Hamada family. The doctor had to stop midway, before doing two more adjustments because Hiro was just holding his nose, refusing anyone to touch it. He begged the doctor to stop but he knew he had to fix his nose. After the last two adjustments, nobody was sure if Hiro was actually in pain, or if he was just being over dramatic because by the time it was over he cradled his nose with heavy breaths.

Cass bit the tip of her fingernails while Tadashi nervously rubbed her back. Hiro knew how much pain he must have caused his aunt from everything he has done. That she was just beyond worried because her own nephew was in agony. And for that, he was filled with unfeigned regret. He wanted to just to take back everything from last night. After Hiro quickly placed on his hospital uniform swiftly, he made sure they did not see the wound 42 made. If they did the doctor would go to a full body scan, and they might probably notice a couple of things wrong... So he decided it was best to fall asleep. And perhaps when he wakes, surgery would be done and everyone would be happy. Just, perhaps.

"Was I being too rough?" Cass asked once she heard Hiro slightly snoring. His breathing was hard, which was understandable. But because of that, she felt so guilty, she couldn't wait until she held Hiro, crying uncontrollably begging him to never do that again.

Tadashi smiled reassuringly to his aunt, "no, he deserved that."

"Ms. Hamada, we're ready."

They began to roll Hiro out of the room once they were ready for surgery. The 14-year-old was fast sleeping in oblivion, dreaming about the most tranquil things one can dream of. Most of them were happy memories of him when he was only 5, but they were still peaceful. While he was sound asleep, Tadashi was debating on whether or not Hiro's story was a complete truth. He could be lying about the whole bot fighting him, but everything else was true. He knows Hiro went bot fighting because he brought his robot, however, was Fabrice the bot? Did Fabrice beat up Hiro because he didn't win or something? Was Hiro just trying to protect Fabrice from Tadashi beating him up to the pulp?

Nothing was peaceful at all, they just waited outside, tapping their fingers and absentmindedly fidgeting their legs. They knew deep down everything was going to be fine, however, Cass couldn't help but worry. She didn't understand why Hiro wouldn't tell her anything, why he kept everything a secret. She didn't understand why both the boys conspired against her. Were they trying to make the "Who-Can-Hide-The-Most-Secrets-From-Aunt-Cass" award? Tadashi on the other hand, couldn't help but feel guilty and stressed out... Now he finally knows how his aunt felt all those times they got hurt or did something reckless.

Tadashi groaned once he heard his phone go off. Reluctantly, he placed it on his ears to listen to whoever friend was calling him. The last time he missed school was because of the fire where he was badly injured. He still has the burn mark but he hides it well with his clothes and make-up. " _Hey...we were wondering if everything was okay. You and Hiro didn't come, are you guys alright...?_ " Honey asked softly, almost as if she timid to ask. Something she was never sheepish about.

He couldn't lie to her, she always saw through him anyway. It was like he a ghost, nothing could be kept hidden from her. She eventually finds out even if you swore that you would carry it to your grave. She didn't even have to pry it out of you, she would never constantly ask you what's bothering you. Only sometimes does she invade your personal space to figure something out. She was just that good. She was... Trustworthy.

"Um...we're fine, Hiro is just at the hospital- but before you freak out and tell everyone, I don't think Hiro would want that. He's fine, though, trust me, okay?"

"O-okay, should I bring something for him? Is he going to be alright?"

Tadashi slightly chuckled, "like what? More desserts? He's going to be alright. He'll see you guys on Thursday okay? I have to go, though, bye," Tadashi said, turning off his cell phone in case anyone else called. He didn't feel like talking to anyone at this particular moment. He was just too aggravated and tired.

After a couple hours past, a doctor finally came out asking for Hiro's family. The two turned their gaze at the doctor who had the most cheeky grin on his face. "The surgery a success. He appears to be sleeping still, so once he wakes up, we'll check up on him again to be sure he's fine and then you're free to go."

"Oh my God, that's wonderful new," Cass smiled, running her hands through her frizzy hair in relief. "Maybe I should buy some gummy bears for him when he wakes. Do you think he would want that? Or maybe some soda. I'll probably make the hot wings he likes, or maybe something else..." Aunt Cass blabbered heading out to the vending machine.

If only they knew what really happened that day, perhaps the future would have been different.

* * *

 **Sorrrrrry! It is probably not the best chapter but I guess it can make do. Alrighty, byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee c:**

 **Also, and as always, leave a review because they make me so happy whenever I see my readers liking the story. thank yewwwww Oh! And the big hero 6 crew will appear more often in the near by chapters. Especially Honey Lemon and Wasabi, thanks! C:**


	4. Chapter 4

Hiro sat at the edge of his bed scrolling through some random book he did not care about. He wasn't even reading it, he was just merely looking at the tiny words displayed on the pages. No matter what he did, or do, the thoughts of what happened that night always crossed his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop. He figured this book might help but so far, no luck was being funded to him. Even when almost a week has gone by, he never truly healed from it emotionally. Tadashi often worried what was troubling his younger brother but even desperate attempts, Hiro always said he was fine. He was just "tired".

While Tadashi went to school, Hiro decided to stay home and asked his brother if he could bring back his work that he missed. For the past 3 days, he's been occupying himself in his homework, reading his professors' notes and reviewing the classes on his computer for things he was slightly confused on. Hundreds of messages were littering his computer, constantly beeping for Hiro's attention. He knew who it was from, he knew who they were, and yet, he shut off his messaging notifications and ignored every means of communication with them. He didn't care about their apologies at the moment, or if they felt pity for him. He just wanted to ignore everyone for a couple of days. He ignored his aunt on multiple occasions, he pushed his older brother aside whenever he tried to pry, he disregarded Tadashi's friends whenever they called, he even couldn't find the comfort in petting their cat. Baymax was vacant so he was never able to try and figure out what was wrong with Hiro. No one knew, really.

And that's how it should be;

Thursday.

Today was Thursday and he was going to school. Today is Thursday, and he'll be outside. Thursday. This will be his first time stepping out since that day. Thursday... How much he desperately doesn't want too. What if they find him again? Or they start stalking him to his house. What if they kidnapped him? Or what if Hiro is just being over dramatic? _Why am I so worried? They wouldn't care if I was dead._ Hiro placed down his book, running his left hand through his hair _._ He was just so tired of everything at the moment.

You can say Hiro was more distant than ever before, but that would be an understatement. Not only was he is distant, but he was being extremely taciturn and reticent. It was almost as if his light that made him be his childish form, faltered. Of course, Tadashi caught on and was instantly worried. Reluctantly, Hiro forced himself out of his bed, steadily walking to his drawer. He changed into a fresh pair of pants and a new shirt sluggishly, throwing on his SFIT sweater. He dragged his feet across the squeaky wooden floors, running his fingers through his tousled ebony hair. He negligently brushed his teeth and took his time down the stairs.

"Good morning, sweetie," Aunt Cass sheepishly smiled. She was, what one could say, stressed out about everything.

She wasn't stupid, oh she knew her nephew was hiding something, however, she did not know what. She didn't want to pester him about it either. Even though, this kid needs pestering in order to get through to him. Hiro flashed a quick smiled before he reached out for his school bag. Cass watched with scrutiny, analyzing everything Hiro was doing. Something was wrong and she was going to step her foot down. Those smiles weren't going to fool her, and she wasn't going to believe his, "oh, don't worry, I'm fine," statements. She positioned her wooden spoon into the blue bowl full of vanilla cake mix and placed her hands on her hips.

Cass sighed, grasping Hiro's attention away from the basket of fruits. "What is it?"

Hiro stood quiet, trying to figure out his aunt's behavior. She wasn't angry with him, was she? A nervous chuckle escaped from his tight-sealed lips, "what do you mean?"

The Hamada brothers were never good at lying, and sometimes Aunt Cass caught that on. She has always been the one to be naive, however, she did catch suspicious tactics her nephews would do. It's just that, she sometimes ignores them and push their behavior aside. But this? Anyone would know he was hiding something. "You know what I mean," Cass began speak, tapping her left foot in an agitated motion. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now. Nothing was worse than knowing your own nephew is hurting and she didn't even know why.

Ever since Hiro was a young boy, Aunt Cass has always been there for him. She always knew his ticklish spots were, his favorite foods, when he really wants something, and especially when she knows something is terribly wrong deep down. _Especially_ now. Ever since the incident two years ago, both Aunt Cass and Tadashi has been up in Hiro's case. Cass learned to let her nephew breathe but Tadashi? He was like a guardian of that boy, a bodyguard even. He always made sure Hiro was fine, he always made sure he wasn't doing anything stupid, or anything that could injure him. He had the best interest in Hiro; he was his brother.

"Hey Hiro, you ready?" Tadashi asked absentmindedly, grabbing the keys to his scooter.

 _Oh, thank God._

He tossed the helmet at Hiro, scrolling through his phone. "Alright, we gotta go. Love ya Aunt Cass, let's go, Hiro." Hiro took one last glance at Cass, mentally thanking fate. He held onto his helmet, running after Tadashi.

He sat behind Tadashi, struggling to put on his helmet. Everything was a struggle with one functioning hand and another hand wrapped in a hard case. Especially when your dominant hand was the one that was _damaged_. With a quick snap, Hiro placed his hands on his brother's shoulders signaling he was ready to go.

* * *

Hiro sometimes laughs internally with the answers some of his classmates come up with. He knows it's wrong but that doesn't stop him, which of course, gets him some glares with other students. Not that he really cares, though. To him, he pretty much thought this class was child-play. A joke. Some of the questions were just common sense. Literally, straight out from the notes and some people still, can't tell the correct answer.

The hour went by slowly, inching away from his interests, occasionally fading in and out of the lesson. Most of the time he stared mindlessly at his book, keeping his pencil locked in between his fingers. The thoughts of hunger clenched his waking thoughts. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the hunger pains came crashing on him. It's been a couple of days since he actually ate something, of course, people knew about it. Aunt Cass took notes of it, and Tadashi been trying to hand him bags of gummy bears. But even then, Hiro refused. At the time, he wasn't hungry at all, he was just too tired to care. However, right now, at this very moment, it seems to him everything was just spiraling into a huge hypnotic state. He couldn't even walk straight without waddling and feel like he's going to collapse on the ground. He was practically a replica of a severely drunk man trying to pass the field sobriety exam. His stomach was grumbling and his head was pounding. Hiro rests his head on his hand, staring at the board like a dead corpse before class was dismissed. It was a struggle just getting up and tossing his books in his bag. He swung the straps over his frail shoulders, protracting every step he took.

"Hiro, wait for a moment. Do you have a minute to spare?" Ms. Simons asked, turning off the projector of her board.

Hiro stopped in his tracks, facing his professor. What did he do now? Did Tadashi never hand in his work? Was his professor seriously going to lecture him about his absent homework? "I thought my brother gave you my work-"

Ms. Simon smiled, interrupting Hiro with a calming voice. "No, I got them. I'm just here to ask you if you were alright, you look pretty beaten up."

Oh. "I got into an accident, that's all. I'm fine, though, thanks for asking," Hiro said quickly, walking away.

"Are you sure?" Ms. Simons came and leveled herself with Hiro, "if anything is bothering you, you can always talk to me. You're one of my best students, I want to help you."

... "...Yeah, um, thanks. But, uh, I'm fine... I'm fine."

* * *

Hey Tadashi, is Hiro doing okay?" Honey asked, walking beside Tadashi out of the cafeteria. "Doesn't he have lunch today at one?"

"I don't even know anymore. I can't tell if he's sad, upset, or what," Tadashi admitted. He was on the edge of the cliff. He just didn't know what to do. No matter what he did, it just didn't seem enough. For once in his life, he started to doubt himself in being a good brother.

Honey rubbed his back in a circular motion, sensing the tension Tadashi had by the mention of his younger brother, and of course that usually always ends up being bad news. "Well, I know you told me not too, and I shouldn't have to worry, but I made him something anyway. I'll try and see if I can visit you guys on Saturday. Now, I gotta go before Stephano yells at me again. See you later." Honey handed Tadashi a box of vanilla cupcakes with a lemon frosting and gummy bears. It was Hiro's favorite treat from her.

No matter what circumstance, he never declined one of Honey's cupcakes. Though, she sometimes wondered if he actually likes her cupcakes or if he's just being nice and saying yes to them. Perhaps she'll never know...nor did she want to. "Oh, and Tadashi, maybe having some brotherly time might do the trick," Honey chirped, merrily walking her way out of the building.

She knew the Hamada brothers were keeping something from her because something was wrong. Hiro's distant behavior was absolutely not normal. Sure, he was always independent, and he preferred solitude over many, but being distant from his own brother? Now that was just strange. And, Tadashi being so nonchalant about his answer when she asked if Hiro was okay, was completely out of character. He would always complain and rant about how his brother is acting. Ever since after that bot fighting accident.

Unless it was more than an "accident".

* * *

Gogo walked into the lab with Wasabi by her side. "Alright, all I need is a couple of nuts," She said, grabbing a hold of some wrenches. The sight of a slumped boy on the chair caught their attention almost immediately. They knew something was strange when Hiro wasn't at lunch. Was he sleeping there the whole time? And no one in this lab decided to wake him? Well... Actually, that was pretty understandable. They barely knew the kid, only to know that he was 14 and Tadashi's younger brother. "Hiro?" Gogo asked, shaking the boy's shoulders lightly. Hiro flickered his eyes open, realizing he was asleep longer than he expected.

"W-what happened?" Hiro groggily asked, yawning immediately afterward.

Gogo placed her hand on her hip, "you fell asleep, genius."

Hiro blushed, "oh. Sorry..."

"You okay little buddy?" Wasabi asked, trying not to cringe at the sight of Hiro's face. He knew Tadashi said something about some bot fight Hiro liked to join, but he didn't realize when he met by injuries, he meant a complete beat down. "Do you want me to get you something to drink?"

"I'm fine. Just a little sleepy, is all."

"That's one shiner you got there. You got into a fight or something?" Gogo asked, grabbing a couple of things on Wasabi's overly organized table.

"Um, s-sort of..."

Wasabi wasn't necessarily impressed with Hiro's response, usually, he would have said some snarky comment or a sarcastic remark. But perhaps, it was also because he just woke up. Still, he couldn't help but feel a tad bit worried about the boy. He was definitely quieter than usual, and definitely more distant than usual. He didn't even crack out any jokes.

"Alright... Well, if you need anything, we'll be over there. Okay, little man?"

Gogo and Wasabi got the memo and decided to leave Hiro alone. He obviously didn't want to talk about it so they kept quiet. Whatever was troubling the young adolescent, Gogo just hoped that he comes to peace. Besides, it would just be better if you completely forget the past and live in the present. So, instead, Gogo took her things and began to work on her own project. Leaving Hiro alone in his train of thoughts. How much he wished they didn't leave.

Hiro sluggishly got up, dragging his book bag across the floor and getting ready to leave. "Also, Hiro, if you're looking for Tadashi, he's in the library. He wanted to talk to you about something anyway."

" _Shittt_..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Aye! What up everyone? It's Mel, back at it again with a new chapter! Listen, this is where the story changes, I got new plans, new ideas, a new fresh start. So hang with me 'till the very end, would ya? Great! I usually don't write long author notes but I'm pretty excited. So at the end I'll just write, please read it, lol. Kay, enjoy.**

* * *

"Ah! Hiro, I found ya!" Tadashi grinned, handing the box of cupcakes Honey Lemon gave to him. "Honey wanted me to give these to you, she felt bad for what happened. Why didn't you come down for lunch? I missed ya, buddy. Did your class went overtime?"

"Yeah," a cupcake didn't sound all too bad right about now. Hiro quickly opened the box, taking the one with the most frosting. "You want? There's still two more."

"No thanks, unlike you, I actually had lunch," Tadashi chuckled, messing up Hiro's hair. "You wanna watch a movie today?"

Hiro gave a small shrug, taking small nibbles on the cupcake. "I have a lot of homework I have to finish-"

"Oh, c'mon Hiro! You always finish it in like, two seconds top!"

"I don't know... What movie?"

Tadashi's blood ran cold while he watched his brother chew on his cupcake. It was a quite a sight, he might add. It's been days since he saw his brother eat something while he was physically in the same room. He tried to think of any random movie, but nothing came up. "I figured you would like to pick."

"Only because you don't have anything. Okay. Fine. Let's watch, 'Let's Go Home and Sleep."

Tadashi smirked, playfully rolling his eyes. "Huh, never heard that one. No, but in all seriousness, we can watch that new movie with the talking food. Sausage Party?"

"You mean the one with the most stupidest plot I have ever heard? I'll pass."

"We're going," Tadashi groaned, grabbing Hiro's arm.

"Hey! Be careful! My cupcakes will get messed up!"

* * *

It felt nice for a change- this entire day was a change. Who would have thought watching someone eating a cupcake would be so spectacular. Something as trivial as spotting a gapped tooth would be so heart-whelming. Seeing someone's smiling was the equivalent of having an entire mountain taken off from your shoulders. Seeing someone engaged with your presence felt so beautiful. Who would have thought? Upon many occasions, Tadashi would turn his head just a bit, to get a quick peep of Hiro, and every time, he can hear a small laughter escape his mouth. And every time, it made Tadashi let out a chuckle as well. The irony of it all was that they were eating popcorn pretending the food had feelings, just like the movie. Of course, the people around them would shush them, but nonetheless, it made Hiro forget.

Ultimately, that _was_ the goal of Tadashi's trip. He didn't want his little brother to be brooding in their room 24/7, it completely freaked Tadashi of how dramatic Hiro's behavior swung from cocky to timid. Even Professor Callaghan was baffled by Hiro's mood swings. It was a good time to finally let loose, and to finally have a good time, even if it was just a movie about food having feelings.

Scraps of popcorn littered the entire floor surrounding them, some kettles even go caught up in someone's soda, but shh, they never found out. Hiro whipped his hands through his hair, ruffling up to be sure no popcorn was still hidden. It was practically a jungle upon his head, surely some form of popcorn was still trapped between his tree hairs. The two brothers made their way out of the theater with the box still gripped tightly in Hiro's hand. No way in hell was Hiro going to let the rest of his beautiful babies go, he was sure to eat them all by the end of this hour.

"I know what you're gonna say, 'I told you, you were gonna like the movie'." Hiro cheekily grinned, mocking Tadashi's masculine voice.

Tadashi smirked, twirling the scooter's keys with his fingers. "Nope, but I was going to say you got a small kernel stuck in between your teeth there."

"Huh?" Hiro rubbed his tongue against his front teeth, feeling the unmade popcorn in his mouth. "I really hate you, you know that?"

"That I do, that I do lil' bro," Tadashi smiled, ruffling Hiro's head. "But you know, it was fun hanging out with you. Do you want to tell me what was on your mind?"

And just like that, it's over. Hiro was instantly reminded of that dreadful night, it felt like the plague. It came back like a virus, and dark thoughts spread like cancer through his mind, harming all the positive vibes he felt from tonight. Why did Tadashi have to ask? Hiro knows his brother was just worried about him, but oh, how much he wished his brother would let some things go. This was one of them.

Tadashi was quick to notice the sudden mood change in Hiro; from how his shoulders stiffened to the way his voice became cold and defendant. "No, nothing was wrong."

"Are you sure, cause-"

"Just drop it! Okay? I said nothing was wrong, you can stop worrying."

Tadashi kept quiet, handing his younger his helmet. _Maybe it was the wrong time... Ya think? Of course, it was the wrong time, stupid._ It was strange to think how much could change in a span of only 2 weeks; it felt absolutely insane. Hiro wasn't being bullied again, was he? Even that was the case, surely he would tell Tadashi... Okay, no, that was false. Absolutely false, otherwise he would have told Tadashi when a group of kids all jumped him. Who would even jump a 12-year-old? Does that make any sense at all? Of course, it doesn't. Otherwise, thousands of people wouldn't have been killed due to reckless and unnecessary force. _I'm getting off topic..._

"I liked the part when they killed the baby carrots, that was funny," Tadashi awkwardly added, hoping Hiro would go back his old self.

"Can you just take me home, please?"

... The tension was high, and it was awkward. Especially since just a few minutes ago they were laughing like hyenas. It was beyond frustrating for Tadashi; if he couldn't make his younger brother smile, what type of brother is he? "I'm gonna go to Honey's house, you wanna join?"

"No."

Oh, okay.

* * *

"I just don't know what to do with him, I took him out to go see a movie and we had a great time. Then all of sudden he went back to his broody ways, I honestly do not understand, at all. Like this boy is going to be the death of me!"

Honey Lemon sighed, pushing back a few strands of her hair behind her ear, taking a big whiff of her homemade Japanese style soup, Nikujaga. The perfect meal for a cold day such as this. She took her ladle, stirring around the big bulky potatoes. "I think it's about done, you hungry?"

"No, not really."

Honey took two bowls from her cabinets, filling them to the top with deliciousness. She held the bowls on a tray with two small spoons on the side. "Well, you're having some anyway." Honey smiled, placing down the tray on her kotatsu. "Are you sure you didn't say anything that may have upset him?" Honey asked, taking a small sip of her soup, eyeing her friend from the corners of her eyes. She saw his hesitance and his mouth beginning to curl. "Ah, I was right."

"All I asked was what was on his mind. That's all I asked," Tadashi said, tugging down on his hat. "You know, I hate not knowing what is wrong with him. It feels like he can't trust me and I don't know why. We always obeyed our little rules; we don't keep secrets from each other. The last time he kept a secret... Why can't he just trust me?"

Honey stopped drinking her soup, putting the bowl down gently on the table. She placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to think of something to say. "I don't think it's a matter of trust, Tadashi, but, rather hard to tell you. I mean, you do tend to over-react..."

"Of course, I do! I want what is best for him, and I'm sure my mom and dad would have handled all of this so much better than me."

"That's the thing, you always compare yourself to your parents. Hiro doesn't need a father right now, he needs you. I don't think this is just puberty messing with his head; I've been worrying about him too. We all have. But, you need Hiro to open up to you, whatever is bothering him is probably something he is ashamed of, and that usually never happens. If you keep on pestering him, the more embarrassed he would feel."

"So, I'm just supposed to ignore it? Let my brother deal with this by himself? I don't think so. I promised my mother- I promised my aunt that I would take care of him."

"Tadashi," Honey softly whispered, pressing both her hands on his shoulders to face him. "You're doing a crazy job keeping your promise. Please, don't assume you're not a good brother because you are. Honestly, I'm jealous; Hiro's lucky to have you, but right now you just need to take it slow."

"Fine, I'll take your advice. But if he gets any worse than he did tonight, I am going to shake it out of him."

Honey laughed, "just don't give him a headache like the last time."

* * *

 **I love Honey Lemon and Tadashi together, don't you? Ahh, of course, you do. c:**

 **Okay, so this is what I was saying:** **It turns out Kingdom Hearts 3 is finally coming out in 2017... OH MY GOD! YES! And Big Hero 6 is going to be in it? Like are you for reals? I-I can't, I'm gonna cry. I'm gonna cry. If you have never played Kingdom Hearts I encourage you to do so now.** **Now, this is the type of game that you need to pay attention to, and if you don't you miss something important. It's confusing, yes, and sometimes a little hard to understand, but it's fun. There are Disney characters, and it is... Sort of.. Like, a kid's game, but for some reason has some dark scenes, like suicide for a friend... But it's still fun! If you don't want to know what it is about you can leave, but stay if you do. I want to encourage everyone to play it because it's awesome.**

 **First game came out in 2002, (U.S) it features the main character instantly named Sora, he is a 14-year-old boy who lives on an island with two of his best friends: Riku and Kairi. After a freak storm happened, dark creatures appear and harms him, after desperately trying to look for his friends. He receives a keyblade; a weapon that can fight off the creatures, known as the Heartless. Their main goal is to kill people and steal their hearts, every time you kill one, the stolen hearts is taken to Kingdom Hearts. Sora tries to find his friends but they're all gone. Sora defeats the first boss and ends up in a whole new world. A goal he always wanted to accomplish, there he meets Donald and Goofy who ends up fighting alongside with him.**

 **They are all looking for someone, Sora looks for his friends, while Donald and Goofy looking for the badass Mickey Mouse, who is the King. Sounds, odd, I know, but it's cool. That's basically long story short.**

 **You meet awesome characters that you get emotionally attached too, and there is a lot of deaths in this game that is usually molded into something understandable to kids, but it has a lot of themes that you only notice when you're older. If you're interested in playing, I must warn you it's a little slow in the beginning, and it's always the Islands where people leave. Play the game in this order.**

 **Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix, Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix and Kingdom Hearts 2.8: (They have the main stories, but 2.8 isn't out until December.)**

 ** _Kingdom Hearts 1_ , _Kingdom 2_ _, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep,_ and watch the movie Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days for a background on the organization. And of course, this is MAJORITY NEEDED: Kingdom Hearts 2.8**

 **Watch the movie, play Aqua's part because it will shed light on the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 3, and Dream Drop Distance is fairly important too. Thanks guys! Have a good day, mwah. I am trash...**


	6. Chapter 6

It was strange seeing a person who was always so active, doing nothing. It was so foreign, often times Tadashi forgot Hiro was even in the house. His brother stayed the same; talked from time to time, went to school as always, did his homework, talk to the gang here and there, but mostly stayed in his room. Whenever Hiro was around a group of people he would somehow cut himself off from the conversation. Of course, their friends all saw that and would immediately say Hiro's name to capture his attention. Every time they did, he would smile and join in, and every chance he got, he would sheep away.

Tadashi would often say little keywords if he noticed Hiro's behavior was off. He would always remind Hiro that his presence was physically there even though he means it metaphorically. Hiro caught on soon enough, and responses became short and quick, giving hints that he wanted to be alone. For every assignment Hiro was given, he would spend hours on it. Not because it was hard, and not because he was putting in a lot of effort, but mostly because if he had nothing to do. He would be brooding all throughout the day. Usually, if he was bored, he would build a robot. But Tadashi noticed he wouldn't even touch his Megabot or any other robotics gadgets they made.

It was a little disquieting if Tadashi was being honest. Especially since it has already been a month, a month since Hiro's odd behavior and still, nothing has changed. It was beginning to question Tadashi if Hiro w _as_ being bullied again. Or maybe his teachers were assigning him with too much work. That wouldn't be right, Hiro is very pliable but he isn't to the point where he is passive. If he notices someone is taking advantage of him, he would say something, _right? From all those botfights I would assume his cockiness came from that. But then again, I did always have to save his butt._ From his years in school, Hiro would always allow the other kids to walk all over him... _Maybe he never got out of that..._

Tadashi placed down his cup, eyeing Hiro from the corners of his eyes. Watching him constantly tossing around his food with his fork. "Hiro, you better hurry up and eat that before it gets cold."

"I'm not hungry."

"Oh, don't be absurd! You would always eat that as if your life depended on it!" Honey chimed in, listening on their conversation.

"If you weren't hungry, why did you make me waste my money-"

"Hang on, _what_? I didn't ask for this, you just gave it to me!"

"I did not!"

"You kind of did Tadashi," Gogo muttered, chewing on her sandwich.

Tadashi groaned, running his hand through his hair agitatedly. "You haven't been eating much lately, Hiro. Please, just be obedient for once."

"But I'm not hungry."

The group was immediately silenced, feeling the awkward tension arising in the air. Whenever Tadashi and Hiro had a disagreement or an argument around their friends, it gets extremely uncomfortable for them. Especially since the Hamada brothers were always getting along so nicely, but lately, that wasn't the case anymore. At least, it was the case a month ago.

"Hiro, I don't understand what's gotten into you! Why can't you just tell me what's wrong then?"

Hiro slammed down his fork, watching the food splatter a little across the table. "And why can't you just leave me alone!? I'm almost 15 Tadashi! Stop trying to be like my dad because you're not! I don't need you every lasting minute of my life!"

"You're right, I'm not your dad. But that doesn't mean I don't have to worry about you. And obviously something is wrong, and I don't understand why you can't just trust me!"

"It's not a matter of trust because nothing is wrong!"

"Bullshit, Hiro! Ever since after that bot fight you've been acting strange. Is it because this time you actually lost? Is it because your precious ego is destroyed? Is it because this time you actually lost your money? Oh boo-hoo, grow up-"

"Shut up! You seriously think I would be upset because I lost? You know what, don't wait for me after school, I'm walking."

Tadashi watched Hiro stomp off into the school, leaving the group awkwardly staring at what just happened. "He'll calm down by the end, I'm sure of it."

* * *

Hiro, just get on the scooter."

"No."

"Hiro, I'm not joking. Just get on."

"No."

"Oh my-" Tadashi yanked Hiro's hoodie, pulling him on top of the scooter and quickly driving away, practically chaining Hiro to his seat.

Tadashi felt Hiro's hand gently touching his shoulders, he knew how much Hiro much rather preferred to be anywhere in the world away from him. Suddenly now, this usual routine has become nothing but pure awkwardness. That, in itself, was just strange to think. Tadashi didn't understand what was going on anymore, he tried to be nice but now, now it just seems like Hiro was a hope cause. Maybe it really was just puberty messing with his head. Maybe he really is just studying for his exams. Maybe he really is just not that hungry. Maybe Tadashi really was just being intrusive.

There's a fine line between concerned and being obnoxious. He'll just apologize to Hiro later, right now he'll probably lash out on Tadashi if he says anything. In the meantime, Tadashi might as well just help cook with Aunt Cass, he's sure she'll appreciate the health. Then maybe even call one of his friends or something, anything to at least distract him from all this drama. Aren't sisters suppose to have this problem?

Tadashi watched as Hiro got off the bike to go inside. _Sweet cheese-its._

Aunt Cass watched Hiro stomp off to his, and moments after, a slumped Tadashi with a worn-out expression. "Another fight?"

"I don't know what his deal is, Aunt Cass," Tadashi said, reaching over the counter for a donut. "Seriously, I mean, I'm stress-eating! I'm turning out to be like you." ..."No offense."

"I'm sure Hiro will be fine, before dinner, he'll be all jippy and happy, okay?" Aunt Cass smiled, taking off Tadashi's hat to ruffle up his hair. "Oh, also, I'm not going to be eating dinner with you guys, I'm gonna head out to Julie's house to pick up something, alright? I'll probably be gone for 30 minutes."

"Okay."

* * *

It was as dead as night in the Hamada household.

Tadashi was in the kitchen, putting some finishing touches on dinner while Aunt Cass left into the chilly winter night. Hiro was cozy up in his bed, wearing an over-sized SFIT sweatshirt and some comfortable pants underneath the blankets. He kept tapping the end of his pencil on his notebook, trying to figure out the solution. His mind has been drifting a lot lately - especially in the past week or so. He didn't know what was real, and what was not. He started to question his worth on Earth, and everything else that was deemed important - now nothing but useless ideas.

Tadashi gently knocked on the door, allowing himself in their room. "Just wanted to say dinner's ready, so come down and eat."

"I'm doing homework."

"Yeah, I can see that. Just hurry up and eat your dinner, when you're done you can finish," Tadashi said, walking over to his bed to change his clothes. "I don't understand why you won't tell me anything, I thought we weren't supposed to be holding any secrets from each other."

"It's not something you'll understand, Tadashi," Hiro muttered, climbing out of his bed.

"Then help me understand," Tadashi begged, showing genuine concern for his younger brother. He quickly switched his shirt to a more comfortable, long-sleeved shirt.

"It's not as simple as you think-" Hiro felt his entire body jerk when he felt a strong grasp on his arm. Adrenaline began to pump throughout his blood stream, and his eyes were nearly popping out. "Stop!"

The terror shrieked out of Hiro's voice was so foreign Tadashi did not know what to do. It filled with his mind, taking each thought of strand and twisting it into one conclusion to another. "Hiro, what is your problem? I'm not gonna hurt-" Tadashi stopped himself mid-way, rethinking about the entire situation.

 _Wait..._ The bot fight. The bruises. The scars. His broken fingers. His friends not contacting him. His solitude attitude. He doesn't even go to bot fights anymore. This couldn't possibly be because of a robot gone psycho. That's not Hiro. That's not the Hiro Tadashi knew.

"I don't want to talk about it..." Hiro muttered, dodging his glance at Tadashi by staring at the floor.

"Hiro I can't help you if won't tell me what the hell happened. What? Did someone try something on you? Were the scratches and bruises all over your body from rough sex or something?"

Hiro said nothing but simply shook his head. Tears were threatening to trickle down his cheeks while he subconsciously gripped onto Tadashi's arm, loosely hanging on the end of the cloth. He didn't want Tadashi to let go of him; It was a sign of reassurance to Hiro. But his stomach, however, were twisting into knots. His knees were becoming into jelly, slowly losing his own balance and grip on reality together. _You're really are pathetic._ Memories upon memories came rushing in through his mind, with flashbacks of that horrible incident that never seems to leave. No matter how hard he tries to forget. He felt disgusting and weak. All Hiro wanted to do was fall to the floor and snuggle up with Aunt Cass, eating some of her chocolate-chip cookies she would make for the boys whenever they were upset or stressed, or for holiday purposes. Either way, it always made them feel better.

Tadashi was beginning to get worried, beginning to think he said something that sparked an unwanted thought. He started to kneel down to face Hiro's teary eyes, completely stricken with a dagger in his heart from the flushed look on Hiro's face. It was as if every single color of his complexion drained from existence. "Hi... ro?"

Hiro gulped, sniffing a bit before beginning to talk. His shoulders tensed up, and his hands were fidgeting uncontrollably. The color drained out of his face, and his voice could no longer enunciate words. His mouth was trembling, while nothing but silence flown from his lips. His chest was beginning to get heavier and heavier; it physically caused distress on him. It was difficult to say the things they did to him, especially to someone as Tadashi. But if he said nothing was wrong, when he is crying right in front of his older brother, suspicious and denial would most likely succumb Tadashi. He had no choice but to tell. No matter what the reaction might be. "Tadashi, they... They... I can't say it."

It took a while before he knew what Hiro meant, and he placed A and B together. He didn't know what to say, or what to do. How to respond. He was at a loss of words. And once he finally did collect all his thoughts, he wanted to ask a question that practically angered him. But at the same time he couldn't. It was like something was blocking his vocal cords to let out any form of sound. "Why didn't you tell me, Hiro? Why did you keep this as a secret? When did it happen, and how long were you planning on telling me?!"

"Because I couldn't!"

"Who did this to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it, what don't you understand?"

"I'm not going to stop until you tell me who did this to you." The way Tadashi gripped onto Hiro's chin nearly made Hiro have a heart attack. His breathes were staggered and harsh. His eyes were dilated. And even still, even still he knew this was brother, even when he knew Tadashi would never purposely injure him, he still feared as if his life depended on it. "Tell me who did this to you, now!? Was it Fabrice? Did Fabrice set you up? Is he the one that made this happen?- cause I swear to God Hiro, I will ki-"

Hiro's voice was so low, it was barely audible. But Tadashi managed to catch on to Hiro's raspy voice. "It wasn't Fabrice. These guys wanted money, I was stupid enough to say no. The next thing I knew I was knocked out... And that's all."

Hiro gulped, wiping his tired eyes from exhaustion. He was emotionally exhausted. No words were said. No movements was made. Everything was quiet. For a moment at least.

* * *

 **So... I'll probably rewrite this chapter and add some stuff but anyway, this is really depressing. Before, this fandom was like, awesome! Everybody was reading and now it's like, they are all just leaving. It's sad because no one talks about Big Hero 6 anymore. Nobody cares about it. And it's difficult to have the momentum to write this story cause nobody is here to read it. There are people yes, but, it's not like before. If you want to read more, please say something. Because I really am losing the fire that i had in the beginning, I don't feel like writing this story when clearly it's not being read. The point of this story was to ensure people, was to move people, was to teach people that this stuff happens. Maybe like exactly like this, but this defintely happens to many people. Please, if you want me to continue, tell me. Because I really am losing passion of writing this. Sorry. Anyway, have a good day 3**


	7. Chapter 7

**Clean slate. Wow.**

* * *

It was quiet.

It was undeniably quiet. The house was silent, the streets were empty with a sparse amount of cars passing from time to time. The only sound that was heard was the faint click of the door when it closed. Aunt Cass rubbed her arms, hoping for some form of heat to betide. She immediately regretted wearing a flimsy sweater outside, who knew it would be _this_ cold? She should have known better... Cass placed down her bag on the brown hook by the kitchen and flipped on the switch, trotting through the house, whiffing the delicious scent of untouched dinners displayed on the tables. She entered the kitchen, noticing the boy's food wasn't even picked out. Everything was still fairly new. Hot? Probably not, but it wasn't cold either. Aunt Cass smiled to herself, making herself a plate. How sweet of them, waiting for her arrival instead of gorging their meals like animals, it warmed her heart.

"No. You can't tell her," Hiro said, already reading Tadashi's mind. "Not yet. I'm not ready."

"Fine. I promise."

-.

-.

It was quiet.

It was the type of quiet that felt like the air was thickening. As if the tensions were at its highest and it was poisonous. Or at least, that's how Aunt Cass felt. She was the only one actually enjoying her meal, but seeing her nephews picking their food, and moving it around to the side- not once did she see someone actually bring their fork to their mouths. She was beginning to worry that the food was terrible. She personally thought it was decent enough at least, she thought it didn't taste _that_ bad. Apparently she was wrong. And she thought yesterday's meal was terrible. What a dagger.

But Aunt Cass didn't know the full extent of anything, she didn't know that Tadashi physically felt bilious, and Hiro was practically having a panic attack. Tadashi felt if he took a single bite of food, he would be too nauseous to stomach anything. He just couldn't eat, not after what Hiro told him. His stomach was tied up in knots that if he took the smallest sip of water, the tiniest crunch of food, all the anger and frustrations and confusions all piled up inside him, it will all come out in whatever was left over in Tadashi's digestive system. How could he? How could he have been so careless? After all these times protecting Hiro in no immediate danger, this one time where Hiro depended on it the most, he just tossed him aside. Playing poker than paying attention to his phone. What type of brother is he? And Tadashi even heard his phone vibrate at times, but he was too fixated on winning. And this is what winning gets him. If he had only come earlier, if he had only came sooner. If only...

 _If only I wasn't so stupid. How could I have been easily manipulated? Seriously?! A tiny robot could have done this much damage, are you serious? How did I actually believe that? How could I have assumed it was because Hiro lost a match? That Hiro was just going through puberty? How stupid could I possibly be? Oh my God._

 _-._

 _-._

 _-._

 _What the hell possessed me to tell Tadashi anything?_

 _Tadashi_ , out of _all_ people. Hiro knew his brother meant well, but he just couldn't help but feel as if Tadashi was lambasting him. _Judging_ Hiro for being so pathetic. For being so weak. For being absolutely useless. For _crying_ instead of being a man. For after all those mini lessons of karate- Hiro never once attempted one move he learned from Tadashi because he was playing it safe. Or, at least in his mind, it was "playing it safe." And even if Tadashi wasn't thinking that, he was definitely being pitied by Tadashi, and if there was one thing Hiro absolutely loathed it, was being pitied. Being mistaken that he couldn't handle his own problems, being treated like a baby because he was the youngest. He _hated_ it. And surely enough, Tadashi was most likely thinking Hiro needed guidance or kindness.

He felt ashamed. Absolutely ashamed of himself.  
And he hated it.

Every single moment of it.

"You boys are really quiet tonight, is the food bad?" Cass asked sheepishly, almost too timid to even ask the question.

There was no sound from either one of them. Tadashi merely shook his head, taking a small bite for Cass' sake. Hiro, on the other hand, was consumed by his own self-hatred to listen to what anybody was saying. His thoughts were more louder than the actual speakers in the room.

"Can I be excused?" Hiro asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable at the table.

Cass looked up in confusion, stopping midway with her fork in the air. "Well, sure honey. You didn't have to ask."

Hiro took his plate and quickly placed it on the counter top. He couldn't stand the silence in that dining room. He couldn't stand the stares they were making directly at him. He couldn't stand the mutters they were murmuring to each other about him. Even if it was all in his mind. He was certain they were speaking about him, speaking about him through the silence. Exchanging glances at one another. It just seemed like something they would do.

No they wouldn't. There was no sound.

Not a single peep.

* * *

It was quiet.  
It was a troubling quiet after dinner.

The room was dimly lit and the windows were shut closed. The only sounds were the howling winds crashing into the glass. Tadashi was still downstairs, and Hiro was just in his bedroom, listening to the music to block out any noises. It was loud enough to drain his thoughts with lyrical nonsense from pop songs. It was better than feeling sorry yourself, that's for sure.

-.

-.

-.

It was quiet.

The drive to the school was a deadly silent. None of them said a word rather than a simple, "hello, how you doing?" Their friends noticed them both being very quiet and distant even though, Tadashi was very present near Hiro at every chance he got. He almost never left his side the entire day. Hiro didn't mind though, so long as if Tadashi wasn't pestering him about every little thing.

"What up, little man?" Wasabi asked, patting Hiro's tiny shoulders before taking out some knobs and bolts of his invention. "Your brother not here today? Haven't seen him anywhere."

"He's in the lab."

"You guys still having that fight?" GoGo asked nonchalantly, popping her bubblegum out of her mouth.

Hiro shook his head, putting his cold hands in his pockets. "No."

GoGo had her doubts but before she could pester Hiro more, she was caught off guard when she heard the faint bickering coming from outside the lab.

Honey Lemon walked in the laboratory with Fred by her side, talking about how if the moon were to collide with a meteor, everyone will all be dead. The two noticed Hiro and acknowledged him with hellos and smiles, and the normal, 'how do you do?' questions. They didn't ask where his brother was, and decided to hang around the little group. Tadashi was in still in his lab, really not doing anything. He didn't want to be bothered; only lend an open ear just for Hiro. He had his own research to catch up on anyway. He had to know where Fabrice lives, he has to know more about that night because Hiro is obviously not going to tell him.

No. Tadashi wants to hear it from Fabrice. He wants to hear his every word that happened. He wants to hear it from Fabrice only. And usually, GoGo knows her way around the city, so maybe she knows this kid.

"Shut up Fred, those are comic books. Not a scientific novel written by Steven Einstein."

"Where you going Hiro?" Honey asked, disregarding GoGo's rant about Fred's lack of knowledge of astronomy.

Hiro didn't say anything, just cocked his head slightly in the direction he was heading too. He entered Tadashi's room, seeing his older brother doing absolutely nothing. Which honestly, made Hiro feel like crap. "Aren't you going to hang out with your friends?"

"Huh? Yeah. I'll be there in just a minute."

Tadashi moved his head around, seeing that Hiro wasn't going to move anytime soon. So instead, he just smiled softly, ruffled Hiro's hair, and walked out with him. The gesture didn't feel quite the same. It wasn't the normal ruffled hair and the daily smile he always sparked at Hiro. It was almost... Sad.

"We're heading to Fred's house tonight, wanna come?" GoGo asked, chewing her gum simultaneously.

Tadashi didn't feel comfortable answering the question and instead looked towards Hiro's directions to see if he wanted to go. "Um, I don't th-"

"Sure," Hiro said, cutting off Tadashi in a monotone voice. "What time?"

It surprised everyone at Hiro's response. They genuinely didn't expect Hiro to say yes, he usually shies away from social groupings nowadays. "We were going to eat out at first, then head to Fred's. So, I mean, if you want to come then we're gonna go at 7-ish," Wasabi was usually the one who made the plans orderly, not necessary the idea.

"Tadashi, can we go?" Hiro asked. He knew Aunt Cass usually cooks dinner but, he just wanted to be out of the house for once. It felt like a prison for the past few days.

Tadashi shrugged his shoulders and replied with a why not? And the two staggered home.

* * *

It was quiet for a moment.

It was quiet until they reached the restaurant. They laughed and joked, debated and had tiny little uproars and disputations. It was enjoyable none the less. Honey sat next to Hiro and GoGo, while GoGo sat next to Wasabi to steal some of his sushi off his plate. Fred on the other hand was sneakily placing small pieces of his food in Wasabi's hair while Tadashi decided to sit next to Hiro, who was laughing miraculously in the group. And oh boy, it made Tadashi feel at peace. Finally after for so long, he can finally see Hiro enjoying himself once again.

But sooner of later, Tadashi found himself lost in his thoughts midway through dinner, thinking about everything Hiro could have possibly went through. Everything Tadashi could have done but didn't. Kept thinking about the entire incident even though it wasn't affecting Hiro at the moment. Is this how he felt? Just kept getting lost in this never-ending path of complete darkness? Something that was physically blocking happiness to shine through? Is this how Hiro felt?- for all those days?

The gang figured Tadashi was just tired, and usually when he's tired he gets pretty cranky, so they never really bothered Tadashi however, Hiro knew why he was acting like this. He knew the exact reason and suddenly, it felt uncomfortable playing video games while your older brother is contemplating his actions because of an incident that may or may not have been inevitable. But none the less, Hiro ignored it. He was finally content, and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

... For now at least.

* * *

It was quiet.

The room was a deathly silent. Cass was sleeping, and Hiro was sitting in his bed scribbling down sketches in his notebook. Really having no motivation of anything and was doing it out of boredom. Which, of course, caught Tadashi's attention quickly.

"You want to tell me what's on your mind?" Tadashi asked, sitting on his bed with the bamboo divider blocking his view.

Hiro was about to say something snarky but decided against it. He was too tired to have to argue with anyone, besides his day was a lot better than most it seems. "It's nothing."

"When are you going to tell Aunt Cass?"

"Soon."

"Aunt Cass isn't going to judge you, Hiro. She isn't disappointed in you. She deserves to know."

"Goodnight Tadashi," Hiro said, disregarding his brother's concerns. Hiro rolled his eyes, tugging the blankets over his head, and before anyone knew it,

It was quiet.

While Tadashi was sound asleep, Hiro was wide awake with thoughts that kept flowing through his brain. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he kept his eyes shut and dreamed of sweet nothings, nightmarish thoughts and destructive images played through his mind. Disappointed? Judge Hiro? No, of course she wouldn't say it in his face, and of course she would hide her true feelings away from Hiro. Who wouldn't be disappointed? Who told Hiro to go outside and play illegal bot fighting with older men? Who told Hiro to continue doing what he's been doing after going to jail? After getting punched in the face. No one forced him.

No. He just despised being treated like a child, and he figured doing illegal things would make people view him less than a child. How wrong he was.

He's the genius that people know him as and yet, he played like a fool. And now he lost all his money and his dignity. What type of moron wouldn't fight back? Why didn't he fight back? Why couldn't he fight back? Why did he have to listen to Fabrice? Just- why did any of this happened?! He could have continued studying. Ate dinner. Actually be normal for once, and actually contribute to something! Men don't get sexually assaulted.

That's just not... That's just not _normal._

So, why did it happen to him?:

 _-._

 _Why did it happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? I saw the way Tadashi was looking at me. He was ashamed of me. I'm the one who screwed up. I'm the screw-up in this family. This would have never happened to Tadashi. So, why did it have to happen to me? What did I do wrong? I just don't understand. I don't understand!_

 _They were all right. Every. Single. One of them. The only thing I can ever do is be labeled as stupid because in the end, my I.Q doesn't mean jack! My G.P.A isn't anything to be impressed about! Intellectual abilities are only measured by a test that shows your intelligence in memorization and patterns; mathematical equations and linguistic sentences. Solving 'puzzles' and 'thinking' abstractly. But if I was truly thinking anything, how did this happen? If I'm such a genius, how did I allow this to transpire?_

 _I'm not smart._

 _Because if I was smart, I would have thought of a way. I may have a high I.Q. I may have graduated high school at the age of 13 with my G.P.A being a 6.7, but those kids were right about everything: I really am just a dense moron._

 _And that's all I'll ever be._


	8. Chapter 8

Today's the day.

-.

-.

-.

Who would have thought?


	9. Chapter 9

1:43 P.M

Pacific Time:

Saturday...

It filled his hands. Filling every section of his clammy palms. Scribbles among scribbles surfaced his mind, grains of salt filled his conflicted wounds that incised his sanity.

His computer was beeping.

The phone was ringing.

Jesus, why can't it be quiet? It needs to be quiet!

 _Hiro, I need to talk to you._

 _..._

 _..._

 _Please, call me back soon._

 _..._

 _..._

 _Hiro, I'm sorry. About everything. Please man, I know you hate my guts right now but... Call me back. Please.  
_

 _..._

 _..._

 _Come on Hiro! I'm calling your house number, doesn't this mean anything?_

 _..._

 _..._

 _Grace and I are worried... Please, Hiro. Gimme a callback, I'm beggin' ya._

 _..._

 _..._

Voices.

They're only voices... just voices.  
 _You think they actually care about you? Only I care Hiro, and God, you're even more beautiful like this..._

Shut up. **_Just shut up!_**

It was intoxicating. Suffocating his virulent thoughts, gripping them tighter and tighter into one huge bundle of nothing. The inside of his head was pounding...

And he felt heavier.

Everything was spiraling out of control.

His head was spinning, his arms were numb, his knees were gelatin, his eyes were droopy, his hands were fidgeting, and everything was swaying back and forth- back and forth. His feet were 100 lbs of concrete blocks, trapping him in place because goddamn was he weak.

He staggered, lurching into his bedroom. The rings kept playing over and over and over again. He knew who it was however, he didn't think he was ready to talk...

It's been weeks, though.

Talk.

 _Just talk, dammit. Why can't you just talk?_

Would he regret it?

Most probably. And most likely he would fall deeper than he is now. But shit, he just wanted this phone to _shut up_. His fingers traced the outline of the telephone, quarreling with himself, debating whether or not he should pursue his task. It wasn't hard, so why was it so hard? Pick up the phone, and say as you want. Just pick up the phone...

" _-Uh... H-hey_. _Listen_ , _Hiro, I'm sorry- I figured you needed a little time alone, and I figured you probably did not want to see my face and- Sorry isn't good enough. Jesus Christ, it will never make up for what you went through but if I-"_

"Stop contacting me, I want nothing to do with you. You said your apologies and I don't care. Just leave me alone."

" _Please_.."

"I said leave me alone!- what do you not understand?! I should never have gone out that night but I _insisted_. You have nothing to apologize for when it wasn't your fault. I was the idiot, I literally set myself up! Now do _me_ a favor and just leave me the hell alone!"

"Hi-"

The telephone bounced off the hook, dangling on the edge of the table, tipping slightly, swaying back and forth while Hiro ran his hands through his tousled hair.


	10. Chapter 10

7:57 PM

Pacific Time

Saturday, Dinner...

..

..

Today was the day...

Who would have thought it would come so soon?

..

..

The sauce was drooping over the wet noodles allowing more steam to hover over the pasta dish, while Parmesan cheese was like freshly fallen snow, sprinkled all over Hiro's plate. He always loved his spaghetti dishes to be extra cheesy - yet recently, he could care less. He twirled the noodles around the fork absentmindedly, nibbling on small strands of pasta. Tadashi caught this behavior on quickly and observed every small movement Hiro made, (which wasn't a lot to begin with).

Hiro managed to finish half of his plate, which was a hell of a lot more than he usually ate. He wiped his mouth with a paper towel, fiddling the sheet with his fingers, he stared at nothing dead-pan. It's time...

He can't keep procrastinating the subject.

He cannot keep running away from his problems.

He just can't...

"Cass I have to tell you something..."

And at that moment, Hiro's heart stopped working.

His hands were fidgeting but he used the ends of his sweater to block out his shaky fingers. He felt sweat trickling down his head... or it could be his hallucinations. He clenched his teeth tightly and avoided eye contact at all costs. His gaze averted to the floor, looking at the wood structure in scrutiny. Tracing every dark line with his eyes. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe normally like a regular person. His stomach clenched and the pasta he just managed to ingest wasn't sitting well in his belly.

Tadashi stopped midway, holding the dirty plates in his hands before quickly placing them in the sink. Was he actually going to tell...?

Hiro quickly gave Tadashi a look before taking a small gulp. Jesus Christ, why was this so hard? It was as if every single horrible thought was consuming his mind. All the possible possibilities were endless, and they all made their way inside his mind, constructing tents to camp out. Without a second thought, he felt his leg beginning to bounce up and down in an antsy fashion. He lost all control.

"Cass I... I..."

"Hiro, what's wrong?" Cass spoke gently, taking Hiro's plate away. "You can tell me anything, you know that right?"

 _Yes, I know... But, I can't..._

Hiro watched Cass scraping the remaining food in the garbage, he heard every scrape and every creek that usually made his ears feel uncomfortable. Like a metal fork grazing over a plate, or chalk being used incorrectly against a chalkboard. Tadashi made his way towards Hiro's side, sympathetically resting his hand on Hiro's frail shoulder. _"Just breathe."_

Tadashi crouched down slightly, re-positioning his head to whisper in Hiro's ear. "I can tell her... If you want."

No. Hiro needs to do this on his own. He... He just _has_ too.

Cass made her way back to the dining room table, feeling the heavy tension in the atmosphere - like as if someone passed. "What is it?"

"I-I-I uh, I was um... I... Some _things_ happened."

Confused, Cass kept silent. Hoping he would be more specific, but he never spoke a word after that. And Tadashi knew it was a little too late to go back. So there goes his plan. "What do you mean, some _things_ , Hiro?"

 _I can't. I can't do this. I can't. I feel like I'm suffocating. Why is the air so dense now? What's happening? Why can't I say it? Oh God, she's looking at me. What is she thinking? What is she doing? Why is she so silent? What is Tadashi thinking? Does he think I'm pathetic? What's happening?_

"Remember when you took me to the hospital... I-I said it was because of the bot fight?"

Um..." _Yes_...?"

"It wasn't because of some "malfunctioning" bot. This- This gang member came and-and took me to this place and- they uh, they did _things_."

"What?"


End file.
